Daily Reviews Summary 02/09/07

For what it's worth the C-series certainly achieves its basic goal: being distinctive. We've got quite a number of notebooks in the office at the moment, and when sat next to others the C2SL certainly cuts a striking figure. The combination of the coloured outer casing and the shiny silver VAIO logo are immediately inviting; making it a great notebook for wowing friends. Dare I say the wow starts now?

My first impressions of the nc6400 were rather negative, due to its rather drab, corporate appearance and indeed its specification - nobody needs a fingerprint or smart card reader for home use. However, after using the nc6400, I was quickly seduced by it's dull but worthy charms.

Steinberg Media Technologies world-renowned Cubase music production software range is about as good as Windows-based sequencing gets. Cubase 4 (407 ex. VAT) and its streamlined sister product, Cubase Studio 4 (237 ex. VAT), are not just intermediary products, but include a range of groundbreaking new features and technologies that offer enhanced capabilities and workflow for musicians, producers and other audio professionals.

I can't recall ever seeing a case that could be used as a full tower and then if you got bored with it you could make a few a changes and you have a fully functioning HTPC. That is until now with the release of the Cooler Master CM Media 180/182 Case. Thanks to it dampened hard drive enclosure and the use of a low RPM fan the unit operated in near silence

Now that LR has installed Windows Vista Ultimate 32-bit we can dive deeper into the new features of Vista. The ReadyBoost feature is only found in Windows Vista and allows you to use a USB key as virtual memory in order to enhance performance. This can improve small random I/O for people who lack the expansion slots, money, and or technical expertise to add additional RAM.

HotHardware launched an analysis on two mid-range graphics cards from HIS based on the AMD-ATI Radeon X1650 XT graphics processor.

Each card comes with its own main selling points. The iSilence II, as its name suggests, is completely silent and devoid of any moving parts in its integrated cooling solution. The IceQ Turbo version, on the other hand, sheds silence for speed, coming in with higher clock speeds on both GPU and RAM and a hefty HSF cooler to keep temperatures in check.

Super Talent has taken aim at the overclocking community with their T1066UX1G5 modules. Boasting a rated operating frequency of 1066MHz and 5-5-5-15 timings, these sticks should offer anyone with a willing board and processor, substantial performance headroom. Will they? There's one way to find out.

The Cooler Master CM Media 280/281 Case is one of a kind, because it can be transformed from a mid-tower case into a HTPC. There are two different versions of this case, the 280 and 281. The only difference is, the 280 comes with a remote and media center with VFD, the 281 doesn't. This case is available in a black color and is mostly constructed from steel, except for an aluminum/plastic front bezel. Watch the video to find out more and check out the bloopers at the end.

Suffice it to say, unless you have a relatively new system in hand or you are looking to upgrade your system, don't even pick up the MS Vista box; leave it on the shelf. MS Windows XP Professional is still a very viable OS, and apparently, outperforms or maintains pace with Vista in almost every test we have run with current hardware in place. Vista has the advantage of utilizing the performance a newer setup offers, XP is falling behind in that it is not as efficient with multiple processors or large amounts of memory.

Are you in the market for a notebook that can take certain punishment? How about one that will survive a drop, spill or being thrown off a bridge? Well, it won't survive the last one, but it is designed to suit the lifestyle of the clumsy notebook user.

If you enjoy a cold or hot drink while you work or play at the computer, this is a gadget you will certainly be interested in. It has a great concept - keeping your cold drinks cold and your hot drinks hot, while you work or play.

But just how well does it work? Read on and find out as we put this gadget to the test.

A product that does what it says it will always impresses me. While the cooling performance of Noctua's NC-U6 is what the end user ultimately wants in a product like this, one can't ignore the other things that it brings to the table. The simple, clever and effective mounting solutions just make this cooler even more impressive.

When you are thinking about getting a new mouse there are really only 2 choices that you will see at your local computer store, Logitech and Microsoft. While Microsoft mice are nice, Logitech's usually out do them in features and quality. Well today we are taking a look at what Logitech claims to be "The World's Most Advanced Mouse". We are talking about the MX Revolution Mouse, so let's take a look!

XtremeComputing posted a review on the IONE Genimi R16 keyboard and mouse combo

The Gemini R-16 isn't the thinnest keyboard I've seen but it isn't fat and chunky either as you can tell by the picture above using the tilt position making this keyboard quite comfortable to use but it would have been nice for them to include a wrist rest to support your wrist when typing.

With 650 Watts of juice, dual 12 volt rails, and ready for SLI and other dual graphic card solutions, it sounds like every other power supply out on the market. Besides the fact that it comes from NZXT, is there anything else unique about this power supply to set it apart from the sea of other units? Let's find out!

If you've decided to upgrade your system to something based on Intel's Core 2 CPU or a newer AMD processor, you will probably need to upgrade your memory as well. At the DDR2 800 level, there are plenty of choices - high latency ram that can reach high FSB rates, or low latency ram that runs near stock, but does so with high performance.

The best choice for most is to find something that has the lowest latencies possible. Kingston's best modules in this category is their HyperX PC2 6400LL, which is rated at 4-4-4-12 at 2.0v. It can overclock too!

Almost everyone will be familiar with the small built-in flashguns found on every type of compact camera. If you’re not, just turn the camera round and take a picture of your own face. Once your eyes have stopped watering, that bright green blob you’re now trying to blink out of your field of vision is the exact shape of your flashgun, so just look on the front of your camera for a clear window of the same shape. It may take several tries to get this right.

Many people have been quick to belittle ATI for basically repackaging a three-year old product and marketing it as a significant upgrade. However, at just under £40, it could be all a lot of people want from a graphics card. Giving them a sparkling new windows interface while offsetting any other graphical overheads and providing better video quality – by way of ATI's brilliant video processing. At a push, it will even play the most modern games, just at very low resolutions and quality settings.

The A-DATA Vitesta DDR2 1066+ 2 GB memory kit is an excellent choice for overclockers who are looking to maximize their clock rates and performance. Even though it is specified to run at CL5, we had no problems running at CL4 above DDR2-1000 - CL3 is possible as well at reduced clock rates. What makes this versatile memory kit even more attractive is its fair price of $365.